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ISCR Case 24-00454 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00454

A decided public DOHA case, shown for research — not advice or a prediction.

Case Profile
Decision Date12/20/2024
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Robert E. Coacher
Government Counsel: Adrienne M. Driskill
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 25-year-old individual who had been employed by a defense contractor since August 2022 and previously served in the Army from 2017 to 2021. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline H (drug involvement and substance misuse) and Guideline E (personal conduct). The core allegations included the applicant's admitted use of marijuana from April to December 2022, a positive urinalysis test for marijuana in February 2022, and the deliberate omission of this drug use on his security clearance application.
The applicant admitted to all allegations in the SOR, including his illegal drug use and providing false information on his security clearance application. He claimed to have used marijuana for a medical condition, asserting that he had medical authorization to do so, but acknowledged that he was aware of its illegality under federal law. The administrative judge found that the applicant's admissions and the circumstances of his drug use raised significant concerns regarding his reliability and trustworthiness, particularly given his continued use of marijuana despite being aware of his employer's strict drug policy.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled against the applicant, denying his eligibility for a security clearance. The judge concluded that the applicant failed to mitigate the security concerns, emphasizing that his pattern of drug use and dishonesty undermined his credibility and raised doubts about his judgment and reliability. The decision highlighted the importance of compliance with laws and regulations in the context of national security.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · Against Applicant
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00454

deniedDec 20, 2024· Hon. Robert E. Coacher· hearing

Summary

A 25-year-old defense contractor and former Army service member was denied a security clearance under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) and Guideline E (Personal Conduct). The denial stemmed from admitted marijuana use and providing false information on security clearance applications.

Specifically, the applicant used marijuana from approximately February to December 2022 and failed a urinalysis test for the substance in February 2022. On his February 2023 security clearance application, he deliberately failed to disclose this illegal marijuana use and falsely answered "No" to a question about ever testing positive for illegal drugs.

The judge determined that the applicant's actions, including his admitted marijuana use and providing false information on his application and during interrogatories, raised significant doubts about his reliability and trustworthiness. The applicant's claims of future abstinence were deemed insufficient to mitigate these concerns, leading to the denial of his security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to using marijuana and failed a urinalysis test for the substance.
The applicant provided false information on his security clearance application and during interrogatories.
The applicant's claims of future abstinence were deemed insufficient to mitigate concerns about his reliability and trustworthiness.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

H.25.aappliedSubstance Misuse
H.25.bappliedTesting Positive for an Illegal Drug
E.16.aappliedDeliberate Omission or Falsification
E.16.bappliedDeliberately Providing False or Misleading Information

Key Rule Quoted

“The protection of the national security is the paramount consideration.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMay 3, 2024
Answer filedMay 13, 2024
Decision dateDec 20, 2024

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Denial of Security Clearance Due to Personal Conduct Under Guideline E
Impact of Providing False Information on Security Clearance Applications

Editorial summary generated for research. Not legal advice; not a prediction. Verify against the full decision before relying on any quoted language.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline E (Personal Conduct) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found against the applicant on allegations of personal conduct under Guideline E. The applicant deliberately provided false information on his security clearance application regarding his illegal marijuana use and failed to disclose a positive drug test. The judge concluded that the applicant did not mitigate the security concerns.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant deliberately gave false information on his February 2023 security clearance application when he failed to disclose his illegal marijuana use.	Against Applicant	Falsification Security FormFOUND DELIBERATE	Drug Involvement	Admitted	—	—	—
2.b	Applicant provided false information when he answered 'No' to a question asking if he had ever tested positive for illegal drugs.	Against Applicant	Falsification Security FormFOUND DELIBERATE	Drug Involvement	Admitted	—	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline E). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline H (Drug Involvement) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant used marijuana from February to December 2022 and failed a urinalysis test for marijuana in February 2022. The applicant's conduct raised significant concerns regarding his reliability and trustworthiness, leading to a denial of his security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant used marijuana from about February to December 2022.	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Regular	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse
1.b	In February 2022, he failed a urinalysis test when he tested positive for marijuana.	Against Applicant	Drug Test FailureWHILE CLEARED	Not Applicable	Admitted	—	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline H). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Full decision

The complete, official text — footnotes and signatures included — is in the original PDF.